Athletic implement and method of making the same



Npv. 12, 1940. w. (51. CURRY 2.221.421

ATHLETIC IMPLEMENT AND ME HOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l oaooooooobacooooooocoonooooogoooooooonoeoocnow- 25 ooauouoooaanoauooooonnoooaeoooooocn aaoooooond ooononaooocoaogoanoo0ooooocanoooaoonoonobooooo Oceanoauoofiocnon 4 oncoooooooooooua I25 0000000900 oaonnooooncc acw #3 1 Q54? Killian: G. Carry,

Nov. l2, 1940. w, G C Y 2,221,421

ATHLETIC IMPLEMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Filed Nov 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 x I f A A t'ZZiam G. Curry,

18 K i M f f/f "W Patented Nov. 12, 1940 I. v ATHLETIC IBIPLEMENT AND METHOD OF,

MAKING THE SAME William G. Curry, Springfield, Mass, vassignor, by

mesne assignments, to A. G. Spalding & Bros.

Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application November 25, 1938, Serial No. 242,403

4 Claims. (crave-s1) The invention relates to improvements. in golf clubs. or other athletic implements and in the method of making the same, and more particularly to the construction ofthe grip portion of the golfclub or, athletic implement, and the method of manufacture and assembly thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a grip construction and method which will result in economy of material and labor used in making the same.

Another object is to provide a construction which will" reduce or eliminate strain on the material thereof.

A further object is the provision of a grip construction in which complete cementing of the grip .material to the foundation is readily obtained.

Another object isto provide simplicity of construction of grip material and foundation with close adherence and conformation to the latter.

Other objects will appear hereinafter, the invention comprising the features, combination and arrangement'ofparts and steps as hereinafter (shown and described and particularly pointed out in the. claims.

In the drawings, illustrating one embodiment of the invention, V

Figure 1 is a plan view of a panel grip member for a golf club according to the invention, prior to its application to the foundation.

Fig. 2 shows the assembly of the foundation member of the golf club. grip portion to the grip panel in flatcondition.

Fig. 2a is an end view of the same fromthe right of Fig. 2.

Fig.v 3,. is. a. side .view of the assembly with the panel grip member wrapped on the foundation.

Fig. 3a. is an end. view of the same from the right ofFig. 3. I

Fig. 4 is. a plan view of the panel grip assembled to ,the foundation after trimming. oif excess of the panel- 1 Fig. 4a is an end view. of the same from the right of Fig. 4.

Fig. 5 is a plan viewof the finished. panel grip and Fig. 5111s, a view of theright end of Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view substantially centrally of the finished grip of Figs. 5 and 5a in position, to be grasped by the player with the ridge and seam on the under side and the flat face on the back side of the grip.

Fig. '7- is a view showing the operation of forming the grip panel around the foundation, the position of the club and grip being indj,

cated in dotted lines in the punch press constituting. the forming fixture.

Fig, 8 is a view showing the operation of trimming off the excess leather left afterthe opera tion of forming the grip.

Fig. 8a; is a detail view in end elevation.

Fig. 9 is a view of the cap assembly of the grip.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentarycross-sec tional view of Figure 5 showing the construction of the margins of the cover panel at the seam onan enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, the invention comprises'providing a strip. or sheet of material I,

which desirably may be of leather material, of.

greater width than that necessary to wrap exactly about the foundation 2 of the golf club grip portion, so that an excess is provided. The

foundation 2 is preferably of generally tapered formto correspond with the tapered shape of Y theshaft 3, and. may desirably be ofmolded.

cork and rubber composition or of paper primed with cement. The strip or panel grip member I, whichmay be perforated or not as desired, after being split to the required thickness and skived as; shown at 4, and coated with preferably rubber cement, is assembled with the shaft and foundationlaid substantially centrally thereon and also desirablyxc oated with rubber cement,',as shown in Figs. 2 and 2a, preferably with the rib or ridgelike. portion 5 of the underside ofthe foundation disposed substantially uppermost, which.

ridge portion. may desirably be provided, although the invention isnot restricted thereto as a plain concentric foundation may b'eused.

The panel grip member I .is-wrapped about the foundation and the excess portions ofthe width of the strip arebrought together in the form of a flange I4 extending substantially rae edges of the leather. material left by thetrim ming operationare pressed down. upon the foundation so that they will form a substantially flush joint or seam as seen in Figs. 5 and 5a.

The grip may then be wrapped with tape which may be done in a grip windingmachine' and preferably cured to cure the cement. The curing may be done in anelectric oven at about 6840 C. for about 1 /2 hours.

the

having a flange which fits down against the.

outside of the upper end of the hollow shaft.

The foregoing is a brief description of the assembly, the details of the several operations involved being more fully described hereinafter.

If the foundation is of paper, it is desirably applied with the club in a winding machine and without removing the club from the winding machine, cement may be applied with a brush,

and the club removed from the machine, placed on a truck and allowed to dry.

The paper foundation as thus prepared, or the cork and rubber foundation, either of whichmay desirably be employed, may then preferably be primed with a coat of a preferably vulcanizable rubber cement, and allowed to dry without curing prior to the assembly operation with the panel grip member I. The foundation may be ofjsubstantially round shape and preferably tapered,

but desirably may beform shaped asfor example in James V. East application No. 23,497, filed May 25, 1935, and known as the Jones Form Grip-{and embodying a ridge on the under side and a flattened face on the rear-side of the grip, asseen.

in Fig. 6.

.Inpreparing the panel grip members assembly with the foundation, the leather hides, which preferably are the material employed, are

cut into strips the width of which is equal to the length ofthe grip desired, say 12, 13, 14 or 15 inches.) Steel patterns of a length of; fifteen inches having a width at one end of about 3 /8" and at the other end of about 2 /2" may beused with sharp shoe knives in .cutting the grips Shorter panels may be out in the same die, the width at the bottom changing with the length.

The grips are cut from the strips by reversing:

.the pattern after each cut so as to cut as many grips as possible from the strips.

ends and small pieces may be cut into panels withlittle waste and with .economyof material. This economy of material isnot possible with methods of cutting spiral grips employed heretofore,,which not only cannot usescrap or small pieces of leather as may be used by the present. invention, but in cuttingspiral grips it has been.

necessary to reject the soft stretchyleather. In

cutting thepanel gripsaccording to the present. invention substantiallyall of the leather maybe.

used.

The panel grips, I may be used either plain or they may be perforated, as desired; The grip members I may be perforated in a perforating machine provided with suitable guides. .The.

rows of perforations 25 extend along the v grip panel and the perforations of one row are preferably staggered with respect to the perforations in an adjacent row. The perforationsare preferably disposed in two groups or sections of three rows each, each group being respectively substantially parallel to itsadJ'acent edge of the Itis notessen tial that the panels betapered as they may have substantiallyuniform width although thetaper is desirable for the sake of economy in providing a grip panel for a tapered foundation. Irregular panel, so that the groups of rows of perforations taper generally with the edges of the panel. With the grain side up and the wider end of the panel toward the operator, the center of the first row of holes on the right may desirably be about /2 from the right edge of the panel, and the center of the first row of holes on the left may be about /8" from the left 'edge'of the panel.

The rows of each group may desirably be uni-- formly spaced apart from about A" to with .a similar space between the two groups at the small end of the panel widening toward the wide end of the panel. Guides in the machine are set "to give the desired distances of the perforations from the edges of the .panel and the panel is put through theperforating machine with the grain side up and first with the wide end toward the machine using one guide and then with the narrow end towards the machine using another guide.

An alternative and desirable method of .cutting and, perforating the grip panelsfcomprises feeding ,the strips,',cut from the hides by hand, into ajpunch press, equipped witlrajcutting and perforating die, keeping the middle fof the strip in the middle of the die, The pedal on the punch press is. then pressed to vout and perforate t'wo panel gripsat one stroke of the press, The oper ation is repeated. Small piecesv or ends of leather may be cut by hand into proper-sized grips which can be perforated if desired on the punch press;

For plainunperforated grips a blank cuttingdie. is provided.

After cutting the grip panels and perforating if desired, the grips are preferably split to ,desired thickness, which 'may' be about .04 1in.'for mens grips and about .033 in. for ladies grips- The grip panels may thenbe immers'edin a solution of 'suitablef grip dressing for about hr. at room temperatureIBOTF.) and thereafter removed from solution and allowed to drain.)

They may then be wip edwith a cloth dampened with naptha and spreadfin'dividually on 'g'alva-- nized screentrays and allowedjtodryjuntilj there,

is no odor o'fsolvent from the. grips. The grips are then preferably skived at. their lower or narrow end edges for later application of Celluloid collar, and cement is applied to the underside of the panel grips, which are then readyfor hassembly with the foundation. The cement is'preferably a vulcanizable rubber cement or the like.

In the assemblyQthe grip panels may desirablybe placed, cement sideup, in a line up'jig, and'a club provided with the foundationis placedin the jig so that a predetermined markon, the shaft registers with the lower edge of the grip panel. The face of the club headis preferably pressed against a suitable stop,.' and the'foundation is then pressed down uponthegrip, substantially as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 2a...

If the grip is perforated, it is preferably lined up withthe club so thatthecenterlinetof the blank space between the sections or groups of.

perforations, isin the vertical'plane throughthe center line of the shaft when the club -issoled against the ground. This. brings the seam on the under side of thegrip, andmay be employed.

whether the foundationis of plain tapered shape or .form shaped, the seam in the latter case being disposed adjacent-thelongitudinal rib on the underside of the grip and desirably onthe forward side thereof. Onclubs having plain unperforated panel grips,'and form shaped foundations, asfor example in; East application ,No.

23,497 above referred to,the g ip-may desirably be lined up so that the seam will/come on the:

side oppositeto or remote from the flattened face on the foundation and suificientlyunder the shafti so that when viewed from above'when theclub is grounded, the seamwill not be ;visible'.. On all plain rounded grips, the grips. are preferably lined up so that the seam will come directly under the.

shaft when the club is grounded.

The club is then removed from theline-up jig and after inserting a short rod in the upper end of the shaft to serve as a temporary handle, the club is preferably grasped with the right hand holding the short rod and the left hand holding the lower part of the shaft, and the back of'the forming sheet 6 in a punch press 1, as shown'in Fig. 7, the .curved or slightly hollowed part of the grip near the enlarged upper end being disposed against the one-inch rubber strip 8 near the right end of the larger sheetfi. may desirably be cut from rubber or other flexible material of about #4" by means of a pattern of desired size, and is disposed in the punch press between the upper andlower forming plates 9 and [0 thereof. The forming sheet is securedat its upper portion to the plate 9 by bar 28 and at its lower portion is removably secured to the lower plate ID by means of bar 29 and screws 30. A back plate is shown at H against which the forming sheet bears, and the press head and press bed plate are indicated at l2 and I3.

The operating pedal; of the press is. then pressed sufficiently for the press to punch twice to bring the two marginal portions of the grip panel firmly and evenly together as seen in Figs. 3 and 3a. The club may then be removed from the forming press and the short rod may be removed from the shaft. The rubber strip 8 may desirably be cut from about stock and be approximately one inch wide and six inches long, with. its upper end fastened as shown and its lower end free. It is desirable to lubricate the rubber forming sheet occasionally with hand soap at places Where the sheet rubs against the metal parts of the press.

The club is desirably then placed on the trimming fixture or press as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 8a, and the leather lip or flange I4 resulting from the forming operation is inserted between the upper and lower knives l5 and 16 with the top end of the grip substantially even with the end of the knives, as shown. The grip.is pressed firmly against the knives with the lip I4 extending between the knives. The operating pedal (not shown) is then preferably pressed twice, as two cuts or bringing together of the knives are desirable in order to insure a clean job of cutting. The trimming press is indicated generally by the numeral I1 and embodies a table I8, top and bottom plates l9 and 20 carrying the knives, with a spring 2| at each end between the plates, suitable guide posts 22 and bushings 23 being also provided. Guide faces, as shown at l9a and Zfla are also provided for engagement by the club.

As indicated in Fig. 3a the inner side faces of the marginal portions of the grip panel I are engaged with each other, as a result of the forming or enfolding operation, to a point at or close ly adjacent to the surface of the grip foundation. The trimming having been effected, as described, at the junction of the flange 14 with the grip proper, the result is substantially as shown in Figs. 4a and 5a, in which the raw edges la of the panel face outwardly, and lie in a plane or The forming sheetinner side faces of the marginal edge portions lb are turned outwardly from the foundation to a substantially. radial position and desirably abutting substantially as shown.

After the trimming the club is removed from the trimming press and passed to an operator, whorollsdown the seam, as with a hand roller, to the condition substantially as shown in Fig. 5a; The grip is' then wrapped with tape, desirably by P putting the club in a grip winding machine, the tape being tightly wrapped on the grip, preferably beginning at the upper end of the grip and extending spirally down the length of the grip just to the lower end of the grip.

With an electric oven preferably maintained at a temperature of" about 68-'70 0., the grip is desirably placed in the oven and cured for approximately 1% hrs. to cure the cement, whereupon the grip is removed from the oven and allowed to cool and then the tape wrapping is removed.

The seam of the grip is then desirably sanded lightly as with a sanding cone to remove roughness.

Next a cap is applied to the end of the shaft and grip. The cap may preferably be formed of rubber having a hollow stem 24 to be received within the hollow shaft 3 of the club, with an integral cap portion 26 covering the end of the shaft-andgrip foundation 2, and having a flange 26a which fits down against the outside of the upper end of the hollow shaft which extends planes'other than radial of the grip, while the.

above the grip foundation. The upper end of the hollow shaft is thus embraced inside and out by the cap. The cap is desirably-made substantially larger in diameter than the upper end of the grip and is then trimmed or sanded to reduce it in diameter to make a flush abutment with the grip proper.

Following the capping operation, a Celluloid collar is preferably applied to the bottom of the grip over the skived portion, the grip may be wiped with a cloth dampened with naphtha to remove dirt, cement, etc. which may have been picked up during manufacture. The seam and other spots which require coloring may be dyed with a suitable coloring solution applied with a small swab, the excess dye wiped off the grip, and any marks, rough or high places on the grip may be smoothed out with a small burnishing rod or wooden arm-roller.

The invention results in an absence of strain on the leather or other material used for the grip, and in absence of strain on the foundation material, since the sheet material is laid around the foundation in being applied thereto without such strain as takes place in wrapping material spirally around the grip foundation with requisite tightness according to the practice heretofore. A complete and uniform cementing of the foundation and leather panel surfaces is obtained by the present invention as distinguished from the intermittent cementing resulting from the spiral wrapping method, and a more closely and well defined shaping in accordance with the base shape, such as the form shaped grip of East application No. 23,497 and known as the Jones Form Grip, is obtained by the present invention as distinguished from the spiral wrapping. Also no wood plug and tacks are necessary with the panel grip of the present invention, as are needed for anchorage of ends of the spirally wrapped on grip. Labor economy in the gripplaces.

ping operation isa distinct advantageof the in--;

necessary reversal construction and dimensions in applying the invention to a left handed grip Will be readily apparent. V

, In the case of 'a. spiral grip the operator has to pull rather hard on the long piece of leather in wrapping it on in a spiral smoothly to get as tight and smooth a seam as possible. This stretches the leather and to make it still Worse, the leather stretches more in some places than in others. Where the spiral grip is perforated the rows of holes therefore may be stretched relatively wide apart in some places and closer together elsewhere. Also the perforations may retain their round punched shape in some places and may be pulled into elliptical shape in other By the present panel grip assembly, the distortion and strain incident to the spiral type of grip is avoided.

The invention, while described particularly in connection with a golf club, is not limited thereto, as it will be apparent that it may be applied to other athletic implements having a grip portion, such, for; example, as a racket for tennis or the like. i 1

I claim: v g t 1. In an athletic implement grip having a grip foundation on the shaft of the implement and a sheet or panel of material covering the foundation in an adhesive union therewith, with the marginal portions ofthe panel adjoining, the

- said marginal portions of said covering panel being turned or bent outwardly with their inner side faces disposed opposite each other inner side face to inner side face and in an adhesive unsewn union, and said marginal portions having raw edge faces" substantially at the outer surface of the tubular panel, said raw edge faces facing outwardly of the grip and lying in a plane or planes other than radial of the grip and forming a substantially flush continuation of the outer surface of the tubular grip panel.

2. Steps in a method of applying hand grips to the handlefoundations of athletic implements, comprising enfolding an elongated panel of sheet material transversely into tubular shape around the handle foundation in such width of material as to provide excess marginal portions, and cementing the material to the foundation, turning the marginal portions outwardly in a substantially radial direction forming flanges extending lengthwise of the handle, uniting the turned marginal flanges solely by cementing them together inner side face to inner side face to an innermost point substantially at the surface of the foundation, and trimming off the cemented marginal flanges substantially flush with the outer surface of the tubular. grip so formed.

3. Steps in a method according to claim 2 including smoothing the outwardly facing raw edges remaining after trimming off of the flanges substantially flush with the outer surface of the tubular grip, to provide a smooth finish to the grip.

4. Steps in a method according to claim 2 in which the cement employed is vulcanizable, and subjecting the applied. grip to vulcanization.

WILLIAM G. CURRY. 

